Rumi Sport 125: Small and perfectly formed

The jewel-like Rumi Sport was revealed at the Milan Fair of 1951, and immediately attracted attention. Its lines were elegant, and the 8hp engine offered 100km/h performance.

The motor, a two-stroke 125cc twin also used in Moto Rumi’s scooters, was famed for its smoothness. Aficionados would balance an old threepenny bit on the crankcase and rev the engine: the coin invariably stayed upright. In the early 1960s, the Bergamo-based company regrettably failed, and founder Donnino Rumi returned to his other loves, art and sculpture.